Keiji Muto is banged up with one match to go.
On January 22, Keiji Muto wrestled his last match as The Great Muta, teaming with Sting & Darby Allin to defeat AKIRA, Hakushi & Naomichi Marufuji.
After the match, Muta needed some help to the back and was pushed around in a wheelchair backstage by Allin.
Speaking at the K-1 MMA Awards (via Tokyo Sports, translation via Deepl), Muto said he tore a thigh muscle in the bout.
"I’m going to have a good match [final match against Tetsuya Naito], but I had a match 10 days ago and tore a muscle in my thigh. I’m in a pinch, but I’ll do my best. Actually, I was in bad shape before I went in that day [Great Muta Bye Bye]. I had back pain. I don’t know what triggered it, but I was out of shape. Knee pain and such is chronic pain and I’m used to it, but muscles hurt like hell. I think I put extra strain on my knee and hip joints by protecting them. I feel like I’ve been given a test by the wrestling Gods. I don’t know what to do. I train only my upper body, but it’s really hard to do that too. It’s stressing me out," he said.
Muto is set to face Naito in his retirement match on February 21.
Muto announced his retirement tour in June 2022 after being sidelined with a hip injury. He said the doctor told him if his hip becomes deformed, he will need a hip replacement and there is no way he can wrestle with that. He said that it was the doctor's decision to have him retire and it's not his personal choice.
